Sam, from Flatfender Willys in Colorado, mentioned a few months ago that he figured out how to easily install an off-the-shelf Rack & Pinion into a flattie. He’s installed over 10 of these over that past few years in various rigs with great success.
A number of readers asked for more information. However, Sam chose to delay the information so that he could work with the maker of the R&Ps to develop a Rack designed especially for Jeeps — from old flatties through Wranglers.
What you will see below is the protoype built by the company that Sam has installed into Craig’s CJ-3B. These are early pictures of the process. Once Sam finishes testing this prototype, they’ll be available for sale.
1. This first image shows the Rack tucked neatly under the cross member.
2. Here is an underside look at the setup.
3. Here’s a look at the 7/8″ tubing (I think I have that right). The basic Rack was originally designed for a 4000lb truck and then was modified for the Jeep to insure it was strong enough to handle a variety of situations.
4. For the typical installation, you’d leave the stock shock mount (if you have a mount there), and cut the plate flush with the frame. Otherwise, you can just bolt the plate into position. In this case, Sam had made a change to the suspension and moved the mount down.
5. This image shows that the Rack has an even lower profile than the stock system. Note how far lower the stock system extends.
6. This image shows the 1/2″ plate to which the Rack mounts. shows the Rack doesn’t extend far outside the frame.
